By Charles Crenshaw
When people find out I was born in Charlottesville, they generally say, “You must have seen many changes.”
And they are right.
I was born in Charlottesville and have lived in or around here all my seventy-five years, except for my military time. I have seen many changes, some for the better and some not so good. The corner “mom and pop” store locations, for example, have become 7-11’s, Exxon Markets, Everyday Cafes and other corporate businesses. Family owned businesses have been largely replaced with Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target and Sam’s Club.
In the early days, there were no subdivisions unless you consider Farmington as such. All the houses were on the side of the streets and roads. Housing was entirely single-family homes. There were no shopping centers. When you wanted to shop, you went down town on Main Street where the Downtown Mall is today. For grocery stores, it was A&P, Safeway or smaller, privately owned stores.
One of the major changes has been the traffic. My memories go back to Emmet Street being one lane, each way. There was two-way traffic on East Main Street where the Downtown Mall is now. As a teenager, we would cruise up Main Street and down Water Street for hours listening to the rock and roll music of the day. Gas ran from 25 to 33 cents a gallon, and a Pepsi or a Coke was a dime. We went to Memorial Gym to see Buzzy Wilkerson, UVA’s first basketball All American. It was 25 cents to see the game from the upstairs track. We could see a UVA football game at Scott Stadium for a couple dollars. The seating capacity was 15,000 at that time. It’s now 65,000 and the cheaper tickets run from $35.00 to $65.00.
If we were fortunate enough to have a date on weekends, we could double date, and for a total of $1.25, we went to the Ridge Drive-In Theatre, located at the intersection of Emmet Street and Hydraulic Road where Kroger now stands. My home during those years was what is now the clubhouse for Stonehenge on Rio Road.
We never looked for car keys, we left them in the car, whether it was at home or parked on Main Street. I could ride my bicycle up Rio Road and maybe see one or two cars. It was a calm community. No one much got into a hurry for anything. Mom could not take me to my Boy Scout meetings at the University Baptist Church on West Main Street. I would drive my Dad’s tractor, park on Main Street, attend my meeting and drive back home. I was about 12 at the time.
When I graduated in 1958, Albemarle High School had around 800 students, now there are 2,200 or more. There are now two additional county high schools – Western Albemarle High School and Monticello High School.
Lane was the city high school and was located where the Albemarle County office building is now. There were many football games, baseball games and track meets where the county office employees now park their vehicles. It is also the field the Charlottesville Aces played their baseball games. At the time, Jackson P. Burley High School was the black school for city and county students.
Most were one-car families. There were no parking garages. Main Street had parking on both sides. There were very few traffic lights except on Main Street and at major intersections.
It was a simpler time in Charlottesville, a slower pace. There were no traffic jams except on occasion when Virginia had a home football game. Fast food for us meant warming leftovers.
My generation has seen many changes. With all the technology, the world has become much smaller.
